What are some of your favorite song intros?

[FilterFunk]

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

I'm surprised no one's mentioned "Welcome to the Jungle"

I meant to mention this one. The intro really makes it sound like something heavy is coming, and "Welcome to the Jungle" is pretty heavy!

[bassfran]

"Detroit Rock City"- Kiss
Alice Cooper- (too many to list)
"Foxey Lady"- JHE
"Hang 'Em High"- Booker T & The MG's
"Jesus Built My Hotrod"- Ministry
"Cradle Rock"- Rory Gallagher
"Life's Been Good", "Meadows"- Joe Walsh
"Funk #49" - The James Gang

[bassfran]

Originally Posted by pedroims

Highway Star : Deep Purple

From Paice beating the drums to Ian's scream...

This has got to be the greatest rock intro of all time.

[N.F.A.]

Some more funk stuff from what's on my computer.
F.U.N.K. - Betty Davis ( Treat yourself if you don't know her. We could have a whole thread just about her.)
Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
Move On Up - Curtis again
Shaft - You already know who...
Use Me - Bill Withers
Not funk but..
Rock On - David Essex
Living in the Past - Tull
Boogie Chillun - John Lee Hooker

[dtripoli]

The quintessential, straight forward rock and roll intro to this song is, IMO, the
sum of all the Rolling Stones work and kick a**
Can't you hear me knocking

The absolute simplicity of Bill Wyman bass playing 1-5-1-5-1-5 is perfect
This is what pure rock and roll was before it split off into 100 different genres

[Depth_Charge]

I'm almost embarrassed to admit but an intro I really dig is Groove Armada's "I See You Baby". All that spoken word stuff is cool

"Funk if you're nasty darling"

[zazz]

i love the opening to the whos "can you see the real me" ..ie first track on quadrophenia.... which amazingly enough also has one of the coolest bass intros when it comes in.

[Kirk Bryant]

Don't fear the reaper!

[GRAHAM SG1]

Spirit of radio - Rush
Street of dreams - The Damned
Holiday in cambodia - Dead kennedys
Riot - Dead kennedys
Pretty fly for a white guy - Offspring (give it to me baby ah ah, ah ah) always make me laugh !

I like intros that build in tension, spirit of radio is simply awesome and just the opening 20 seconds or so contains much playing than many bands play in an entire song !

[ack]

You Could Be Mine - GNR - but...as soon as the vocals start, I move on.

[MarkMgibson]

Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones: one of the most haunting song openings.

I always like the long version of "I Need A Lover" by John Cougar Mellencamp, with all those modulations and great guitar parts - it just keeps building and building - very cool.

[Timmah]

When the levee breaks- led zeppelin.

Chills down my spine every time.

[Nev375]

Where the Streets Have No Name


Oh wait.... It's no longer fashionable to like U2.

[Troph]

Originally Posted by MarkMgibson

Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones: one of the most haunting song openings.

+1 to this. Always loved that intro lick. It sets the desperate tone for the song right away, and you can't listen to it without feeling the anguish.

But in terms of consistently innovative and interesting intros, no other band did a better job than Pink Floyd.

Starting with "See Emily Play", with its psychedelic piano intro, to the Meddle album with "One of these Days" and "Echoes". Then Dark Side of the Moon with some of the best song intros of all time on "Breathe", "Money", and "Time."

Then there's Wish You Were here where every single song has a wild intro, including that fantastic 4-note lick intro to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", which is iconic. "Welcome to the Machine" makes you feel like you're on a conveyor belt traveling around a factory. "Wish You Were Here" has the radio station tuning intro.

Then of course on Animals you have the terrific bass riff intro on "Pigs - Three Different Ones" and the foreboding electric piano intro to "Sheep".

I'm leaving several more out of there. But seriously, no band to my knowledge had more creative and thoughtful song intros than Pink Floyd.

[Slicebread]

Carousel - Blink 182

[MarkMgibson]

Originally Posted by Troph

+1 to this. Always loved that intro lick. It sets the desperate tone for the song right away, and you can't listen to it without feeling the anguish.

But in terms of consistently innovative and interesting intros, no other band did a better job than Pink Floyd.

Starting with "See Emily Play", with its psychedelic piano intro, to the Meddle album with "One of these Days" and "Echoes". Then Dark Side of the Moon with some of the best song intros of all time on "Breathe", "Money", and "Time."

Then there's Wish You Were here where every single song has a wild intro, including that fantastic 4-note lick intro to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", which is iconic. "Welcome to the Machine" makes you feel like you're on a conveyor belt traveling around a factory. "Wish You Were Here" has the radio station tuning intro.

Then of course on Animals you have the terrific bass riff intro on "Pigs - Three Different Ones" and the foreboding electric piano intro to "Sheep".

I'm leaving several more out of there. But seriously, no band to my knowledge had more creative and thoughtful song intros than Pink Floyd.

Yep, Pink Floyd structured their songs so well, I wouldn't even know where to start naming one. I love "Animals" - I think it's a very underrated album.

[Slicebread]

Originally Posted by GRAHAM SG1

Spirit of radio - Rush
Street of dreams - The Damned
Holiday in cambodia - Dead kennedys
Riot - Dead kennedys
Pretty fly for a white guy - Offspring (give it to me baby ah ah, ah ah) always make me laugh !

I like intros that build in tension, spirit of radio is simply awesome and just the opening 20 seconds or so contains much playing than many bands play in an entire song !

Same here ,I find it funny

[MarkMgibson]

The Who's "Pinball Wizard" is a good one. I wish I could come up with such a pretty chord progression, and it was just an intro.

[Farley]

Funeral for a Friend - Elton John
Renegade - Styx
The Doorway - Spock's Beard
Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar - The Flower Kings
Somebody To Love - Queen
I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick (From Live at Budokan)
The Rain Song - Led Zep
Over The Hills and Far Away - Led Zep
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis
Madhouse - Anthrax (This one always makes me laugh)
Some Nights - Fun. (Poppy as hell but love the vocal harmonies)

[N.F.A.]

Originally Posted by Troph

+1 to this. Always loved that intro lick. It sets the desperate tone for the song right away, and you can't listen to it without feeling the anguish.

But in terms of consistently innovative and interesting intros, no other band did a better job than Pink Floyd.

Starting with "See Emily Play", with its psychedelic piano intro, to the Meddle album with "One of these Days" and "Echoes". Then Dark Side of the Moon with some of the best song intros of all time on "Breathe", "Money", and "Time."

Then there's Wish You Were here where every single song has a wild intro, including that fantastic 4-note lick intro to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", which is iconic. "Welcome to the Machine" makes you feel like you're on a conveyor belt traveling around a factory. "Wish You Were Here" has the radio station tuning intro.

Then of course on Animals you have the terrific bass riff intro on "Pigs - Three Different Ones" and the foreboding electric piano intro to "Sheep".

I'm leaving several more out of there. But seriously, no band to my knowledge had more creative and thoughtful song intros than Pink Floyd.

This an excellent exposition on some of their intros. I agree wholeheartedly with your statements. Excellent! This is the kind of thing that I was hoping for in starting this thread.